Wall ironing machine



must be provided to exhaust the air from the cup shaped blank 11 to prevent movement of the ram into the blank from causing the blank to be ruptured. For this reason, a longitudinally extending opening 104 is formed throughout the length of both portions of the punch member and then connecting screw. This opening 104 is connected to an opening 106 formed in the slide 56. Opening 106 in turn is connected with a vertically extending opening 108 which connects with the lower surface of the slide 56. If the machine were operated at a low rate the line 108 could simply serve as an exhaust to the atmosphere; however, because the machine is operated at an extremely high number of cycles per minute, line 108 is preferably connected through a flexible line 110 to a source of vacuum and a source of air pressure not shown. The control of air and vacuum through line 110 is accomplished in any convenient manner, such as for example, by solenoid valves actuated by a cam limit switch unit 111 driven from the main crankshaft 38.

In operation, the valves are controlled so that as the punch member begins entering the can a vacuum is pulled on line 108 and, accordingly, on lines 104 to thereby exhaust the air from the can; however, after the finish of the working portion of the punch stroke the valves are operated to supply air under pressure through the same lines to assist in removing the formed can bodies from the ram.

IRONING AND DOMING ASSEMBLY D The ironing and doming assembly D is best shown in FIGURES and 11. This assembly functions in combination with the punch members 90 to form the cupshaped can blanks 11 to their final desired form 11'.

The portion of the assembly D which performs the ironing function includes a first ironing ring assembly 110 and a second ironing ring assembly 112. Assemblies 110 and 112 are mounted in a common frame 114 which includes a horizontally extending base plate 116. The base plate 116 is supported from inwardly extending brackets 118 which are welded to the side frame members 10 and 12. The base plate is releasably connected to the brackets 118 by a plurality of screws 120. This arrangement allows the ironing ring assemblies 110 and 112 to be readily removed from the machine as a unit for replacement or repair.

Referring specifically to ironing ring assembly 110 it is seen that the assembly includes a pair of ironing ring members 124 each adapted to cooperate with a separate one of punch members 90. Each ring member 124 is identically formed and mounted. Consequently only one will be described in detail. As shown, ring member 124 is carried in a recess 126 formed in the left-hand portion 128 of support member 114. The ring 124 has an extruding opening 130 formed centrally therein. The opening 130 is axially aligned with the path of movement of its respective punch member 90 and is of a diameter slightly larger than the desired finished diameter of the can body 11. As shown, the outer periphery of the ring member 124 is slightly smaller in diameter than the peripheral wall of the recess 126 and an O-ring 132 is received in an annular recess formed in the outer periphery of ring 124 to position the ring in the recess. This arrangement allows the ring to have some slight movement relative the ram so as to be somewhat self-centering.

The ring 124 is releasably retained in the recess by a retainer plate 134 which is connected to the support frame 114 by a plurality of screws 136. The retainer plate 134 is of a two-part construction so as to provide an internal annular recess 140 to which lubricant is supplied. The lubricant is conducted from recess 140 to the exterior surface of the blank via a plurality of small openings 142.

Referring now to assembly 112, it is seen that the ironing ring portion of the assembly is generally the same as described with reference to assembly 110 and includes a pair of ironing rings 144 each adapted to cooperate with a separate one of punch members 90. The rings are received in openings 146 formed in portion 148 of bracket 114. Extending centrally through each of rings 144 is an extruding opening 150. This opening is aligned with the path of movement of the respective punch member and is of a diameter equal to the desired final diameter of the can body 11'. Additionally, O-rings 152 extend in grooves formed in the outer periphery of the rings 144 so as to provide a degree of self-centering as described with reference to rings 124. Rings 144 are retained in recesses 146 by retainer plates 154 connected to portion 148 of bracket 114 by a plurality of screws 156. The retainer plates also include an annular lubricant receiving groove which, through openings 162 supplies lubricant to the ironing ring assembly.

Positioned in recesses 168 formed in the opposite side of member 148 are stripping ring assemblies 170. These assemblies function to remove the finished can bodies from the punch members 90 as the punches are reciprocated to the left as viewed in FIGURE 10. In particular, the two stripping ring assemblies 170 are formed in the same manner and each include a plurality of discrete ring sections 172 which are biased inwardly by a circumferentially extending garter spring 174. The ring segments 172 are retained in their respective recess 168, but permitted to have radial movement relative thereto by a circular retainer plate 176 connected to member 148 by a plurality of screws 178.

Mounted at the right-hand end of the punches path of movement is doming assembly 180'. This assembly is arranged to form the bottom wall of the can body to the desired final shape. Referring more specifically to FIG- URE 8 it is seen that doming assembly 180- includes 2 doming units 182 each of which is aligned with a separate one of punch members 90. Additionally, the doming units 182 are arranged for separate adjustment longitudinally of the path of movement of the rams by mechanism which will subsequently be described in detail; however, referring to FIGURE 10, it is seen'that each of the units includes a doming member 184 which has an end surface 186 of a configuration desired to be imparted to the bottom wall of the can 11'. Member 184 is connected by a plurality of cap screws 186 with a mounting sleeve -188. The mounting sleeves 188 of the two respective doming units 182 are, as best shown in FIGURE 8, releasably connected by a plurality of screws 190 to independent support members 194 and 196, respectively.

Referring again to FIGURE 10 it is seen that an ejector ring member 198 is positioned about each of the doming members 184. This ejector ring is arranged so as to be slidable within the sleeve 188. A plurality of rods 200 extend from the rear end of the ejector ring into engagement with a slide flange 202 carried on a stud 204 threadably connected to the rear end of the doming member 186. A compression spring 206 surrounds stud 204 and functions to maintain a constant bias against the slide flange 202 to in turn bias the ejector ring 198 outwardly. Spring 206 is maintained in position by a washer and nut 208 and 210, respectively.

Referring to FIGURE 11 which shows one of the punch members 90 at the rightward extent of its stroke, it is seen that at this time the can body 11 is completely formed and the ejector ring has been force rightwardly against the bias of spring 206. As the ram begins moving to the left, the outward bias against the ejector spring forces the can body 11 away from the doming member 184. Continued leftward movement of the ram causes the rear edge 186 of the can body 11' to be engaged by the stripping ring assembly 170. This, in combination with the pressurized air supplied through line 104, causes the can to be stripped or removed from the punch. The can is then received on the discharge mechanism F and discharged from the machine.

Jan. 27, 1970 R. E. PRENDERIGASTV ETAL WALL .IRONING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22. 1965 INVENTORS RICHARD E. PRENDERGAST a LAWRENCE M. ROGERS ATTORNEYS 1970* R: 5 PRENDERG'AST E AL WALL IRONING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 22, 1965 INVENTQRS RICHARD E. PRENDERGAST & LAWRENCE M.

means 6 am ATTORNEYS Jan. 27, 1910 R. E. PREND-ERGAST ETAL WALL IRON LNG MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 22, 1965 INVENTORS RlCHARD E. PRENDERGAST ATORNEYS United States Patent 3,491,575 WALL IRONING MACHINE Richard E. Prendergast, Western Springs, and Lawrence M. Rogers, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,816 Int. Cl. B21d 22/20 US. Cl. 72-349 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a feed mechanism for a wall ironing machine of the type which includes two reciprocating rams driven in out-of-phase relation by a crankshaft. The disclosure particularly relates to a feed mechanism for feeding blanks into the wall ironing apparatus in timed relation to the movement of the rams. Two hoppers are provided for supplying blanks, one hopper for each of the rams. On the other hand, a single feed mechanism is provided for alternately receiving blanks from the two hoppers and feeding the blanks to the respective rams.

This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in wall ironing machines, and more specifically to a novel feed mechanism for a wall ironing machine.

This invention has to do with a machine into which generally cup-shaped blanks are fed and which blanks are re-shaped by a wall ironing method so as to be in the form of elongated constant cross section closed end tubular members which are suitable for the formation of cans. The invention is particularly directed to a feed mechanism for feeding the blanks into the wall ironing apparatus in timed relation to the movement of the moveing components of the wall ironing apparatus.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a feed mechanism suitable for use with a wall ironing machine of the type having two wall ironing mechanisms disposed in side-by-side relation and being driven 180 degrees out of phase, the feed mechanism being intimately operated in timed sequence to the reciprocation of the wall ironing mechanism so as to sequentially feed blanks to the tw walls ironing mechanisms.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel feed mechanism in accordance with the foregoing wherein the wall ironing machine includes a crankshaft and the feed mechanism is driven from the crankshaft by means of a cam for converting rotary motion into periodic rec tilinear motion.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel wall ironing machine which includes two wall ironing mechanisms disposed in side-by-side spaced relation and driven 180 degrees out of phase by means of a crankshaft, the wall ironing machine also including a feed mechanism for sequentially supplying blanks to the wall ironing mechanism, the feed mechanism including a pair of hoppers disposed between the wall ironing mechanism and a transversely movable feed unit, the feed unit being driven at intervals in timed relation to the reciprocation of the wall ironing mechanism by means of a cam which is drivingly connected to a crankshaft of the machine, the cam, in turn, rocking the rocker shaft which is disposed alongside the wall ironing mechanisms and the rocker shaft having a lever connected to the feed unit for effecting the reciprocation thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel feed unit for receiving blanks disposed in a vertical hopper and transferring the blanks sideways into a wall ironing mechanism, the feed unit including a slide plate having mounted thereon a pusher disposed at one side of the hopper, and a resiliently mounted seat carried by the slide plate in alignment with the hopper, the seat having a portion thereof generally facing the pusher so as to urge blanks towards the pusher, the seat serving the dual function of preventing a lowermost blank from being squeezed out of the bottom of the hopper by other blanks and holding the bottommost blank against the pusher.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel feed unit in accordance with the foregoing wherein there is associated with the feed unit a blank positioning unit against which a blank may be clamped by the pusher, the pusher having a resiliently mounted face plate to facilitate the resilient clamping of a blank in place.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view with parts broken away and shown in section of the wall ironing machine of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1 and shows the specific details of the feed mechanism.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical view taken generally along the line 33 of FIG- URE 1 and shows the slide plate and associated guide of the feed unit in section.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is illustrated in FIGURE 1 a wall ironing machine which is generally referred to by the numeral 10. The wall ironing machine 10 includes two wall ironing mechanisms 11 and 12 which are disposed in longitudinal side-by-side spaced relationship. Each of the Wall ironing mechanisms 11 and 12 includes a ram housing 13 in which there is slidably mounted a rain 14 having projecting forwardly therefrom a reduced extension 15. Each ram 14 has pivotally connected thereto a connecting rod 16 which, in turn, is connected to a journal of a crankshaft 17 is rotated in any desired manner. is so constructed whereby the rams 14 and their extensions 15 are disposed degrees out of phase. The crankshaft 17 is rotated in any desired manner.

At the right end of each of the ram housings 13 there is provided a slide 18 through which the ram extension 15 freely rcciprocates. The slide 18, in turn, is mounted for longitudinal reciprocatory movement by means of a pair of extensible fluid motors or cylinders 20. The cylinders 20 are mounted on the ram housing 13 and each has a plunger 21 which is provided at its forward end with a fitting 22 that is connected to an arm 23 extending outwardly from the slide 18. It is to be noted that the ram housing 13 is slotted as at 24 to receive the arms 23. A redraw ring 25 is carried by the guide 18 for reciprocatory movement therewith, but may be dispensed with for some containers if so desired.

Each wall ironing mechanism 11 also includes the die assembly which is generally referred to by the numeral 26. The die assembly 26 is disposed in longitudinally spaced relation with respect to its associated ram housing 13 and includes a housing 27. The die assembly 26 is of a conventional type and the specific details of the dies thereof do not constitute a part of this invention and therefore, no attempt has been made to specifically illustrate a die assembly of the type which is actually utilized. It is, however, pointed out here that a conventional die assembly, starting from the left end of the housing 27, including a redraw die, three ironing dies and a stripper, which stripper is normally mounted at the right end of the housing 27.

In the general operation of the wall ironing machine 10, blanks B are fed into the space between each ram housing 13 and its associated die unit 26. Then the ram 14 and the slide 18 are moved to the right with the redraw ring 25 cooperating with the ram extension and the die assembly 26 to effect a redrawing operation. The redraw ring stops in cooperative relation with respect to the die assembly 26 and the redrawn blank is moved further through the die assembly 26 by the ram extension 15. As the redrawn blank B is moved further through the die assembly 26, the three ironing dies serve to iron out the redraw blank. The redrawn and ironed blank passes entirely through the die assembly 26 and when the ram extension 15 is withdrawn, the stripper of the die assembly 26 serves to strip the formed tubular member, which is now referred to by the letter M, from the ram extension 15. The formed tubular members then drop down onto an endless takeway conveyor 30.

In order to effect the automatic feeding of the blanks B into the wall ironing mechanisms 11 and 12, there is positioned between the wall ironing mechanisms 11 and 12 generally in alignment with the spaces between the respective rams and guide units a pair of vertically disposed feed hoppers 31 and 32. The feed hoppers 31 and 32 are of like construction with the feed hopper 31 being intended to feed blanks B into the wall ironing mechanism 11 while the hopper 32 is intended to feed blanks into the wall ironing mechanism 12.

The hoppers 31 and 32 are portions of a feed mechanism which is generally referred to by the numeral 33. The feed mechanism 33 also includes a feed unit, which is generally referred to by the numeral 34. The feed unit 34 is mounted for transverse reciprocatory movement in timed relation to the reciprocation of the ram extensions.

The reciprocation of the feed unit 34 at timed intervals is accomplished by means of a cam 35 which is carried by a transversely mounted shaft 36. The shaft 36 is rotated in unison with the crankshaft 17 by means of a drive chain 37 which is entrained over a sprocket 38 connected to the crankshaft 17 and a sprocket 40 which is carried by the shaft 36. The ram 35 has a cam groove 41 which is shaped to effect the conversion of rotary movement to movement transversely of the machine 10 at predetermined intervals.

The machine 10 includes a suitable frame or housing 42 from which there projects bearings 43. A rocker shaft 44, which is disposed alongside the wall ironing mechanism 11, is channeled in the bearings 43 for periodical oscillatory movement. The driven end of the rocker shaft 44 is provided with a lever 45 which carries a cam follower 46 that is seated in the cam groove 41. Thus, the rotation of the cam 35 effects the periodical rocking of the rocker shaft 44. The output end of the rocker shaft 44 is provided with a crank 47. The crank 47 is connected to the feed unit 34 by means of a link 48.

It is also pointed out at this time that the shift 36 is connected to an angle gear box 49 and drives a longitudinal shaft 50 which is supported from the frame or housing 42 by means of a suitable bearing 51. The shaft 50 has an output sprocket 52 which is connected to a driven sprocket 53 by means of a drive chain 54. The driven sprocket 53 is carried by a drive shaft 55 for the conveyor 30.

Each ram housing 13 includes a longitudinally extending bar 57 which is utilized to support a blank positioning unit generally referred to by the numeral 58, as indicated in FIGURE 2. Each blank positioning unit 58 is interchangeably mounted and includes a stop member 60 which is secured to the bar 57 by means of suitable fasteners 61. The stop member 60 is configurated to provide a seat 62 disposed alongside the path of movement of the redraw ring 25 and is shaped to receive and fix the transverse position of the blank B. The stop member 60 carries an upper guide plate 63 which is secured in place by means of suitable fasteners 64. The guide plate 63 is utilized for the purpose of guiding a blank B into proper position with respect to the seat 62 in a manner to be described in detail hereinafter.

At this time it is pointed out that each of the hoppers 31 and 32 is supported from the associated ram housing 13 and die assembly 26. There is secured to the upper portion of each ram housing 13 and die assembly 26 a pair of transversely extending, longitudinally spaced angle members 66 which are releasably retained in place by means of fasteners 67 in the manner best shown in FIG- URE 3. Each of the angle members 66 has secured thereto an upstanding end plate 68 of the associated hopper. Each end plate 68 carries a plurality of generally L-shaped hopper memebrs 69 which are disposed in overlapped relation. The L-shaped hopper members 69 are connected together by vertical rails 70. It will also be noted that the L-shaped hopper members 69 are of a split construction whereby each of the hoppers 31 and 32 may be adjusted so as to vary both the width and depth thereof so as to accommodate blanks of different sizes.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3 in particular, it will be seen that the feed unit 34 includes a transverse guideway 72 which is suitably supported by the frame 42, such as by means of fasteners 73. The guideway 72 has slidably mounted therein for transverse movement a slide plate or bar 74. The slide plate or bar 74 is retained in the guideway 72 by means of retainer plates 75 which are releasably secured in place by means of fasteners 76 It is to be noted that the right end of the slide bar 74, as viewed in FIGURE 2, is provided with a fitting 77 to which the link 48 is pivotally connected.

Referring once again to FIGURE 2, it will be seen that the central portion of the slide bar 74 has secured thereto a pair of pushers 78 which are so related whereby when one of the pushers is in a position clamping a blank B against a stop member 60, the other of the pushers is in a retracted position for receiving a blank from the respective hopper. Also, it is to be noted that the slide bar 74 supports a seat for a blank adjacent each of the pushers 78, the seats being generally referred to by the numeral 80. Inasmuch as the pushers and seats are identical, except for the left and right relationship, only the left-hand portion of the feed unit 34 will be described in detail here.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 in particular, it will be seen that the pusher 78 includes a block 81 which is secured to the slide bar 74 by means 'of a pair of fasteners 82 which are disposed in slots 83 extending longitudinally of the slide bar 74 so that the pusher 78 may be adjusted longitudinally of the slide bar 74 and transversely of the machine 10. The block 81 is seated in a shallow recess 84 formed in the upper surface of the slide bar 74 and the position thereof is controlled by positioning blocks 85 which are secured in place by fasteners 86. The positioning blocks 85 may be interchangeable in accordance with the size of blank to be fed if it is desired to shift the pusher 78 although different pushers normally will be provided for different sizes of blanks B.

That face of the block 81 which opposes the stop mem ber 60 is provided with a recess 87 in which there is slidably seated a face plate 88. The face plate 88 is resiliently urged towards the associated stop member 60 by means of a pair of springs 89 which have the opposite ends thereof seated in shallow bores 90 in the face plate 88 and elongated bores 91 in the block 81. Each of. the bores 91 is further provided with an adjustable stop member 92 having an elongated shank 93 which extends into a small diameter bore 94 in the block 81. Movement of the shanks 93 to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 4, is

limited by adjustable set screws 95 threaded into the righthand ends of the bore 94.

The movement of the face plate 88 towards the stop member 60 is limited by a rod 96 which is secured at one end to the plate 88. The rod 96 is slidably mounted in a pair of bushings 97 disposed within a bore 98 extending entirely through the block 81. The right-hand end of the rod 96 is externally threaded, as at 99, and has threadedly engaged thereon a stop nut 100 which is of the self-locking type. If desired, a washer 101 may be positioned between-the nut 100 and the block 81.

It will be readily apparent from FIGURE 4 that when the guide bar 74 is moved to the left, the pusher 78 will move the lowermost blank B out of the hopper 32 towards the stop member 60. When the blank B engages the seat 62, further movement of the pusher 78 will result in the compressing of the springs 89 so as to prevent damage to the blank B while tightly retaining the blank against the seat 62.

Referring once again to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that the seat 80 associated with each pusher 78 is partially positioned within a recess 102 formed in the slide bar 74. Each seat 80 includes an elongated horizontal portion 103 and a shorter upstanding portion 104 which is integrally connected to the horizontal portion 103 and slopes at an angle thereto. A pivot pin 105 extends through the horizontal portion 103 to pivotally mount the seat 80. The movement of the seat 80 in a clockwise direction is limited by means of an adjustable stop 106 which is threaded into an internally threaded bore 107 in the slide bar 74. The seat 80 is resiliently urged in a clockwise direction by means of a spring 108 having the opposite ends thereof seated in shallow recesses formed in the slide bar 74 and the seat 80. It will be noted that the upstanding portion 104 generally faces the pusher 78 and urges a blank B into engagement with the face plate 88 thereof.

The seat 80 has two primary purposes. It is to be noted that the blanks B will be positioned in stacked relation within the hoppers 31 and 32. The normal force reaction would be to squirt the lowermost blank into the path of the ram extension if the blank is slightly displaced towards the ram extension. However, due to the particular shape of the seat 80 and the spring force thereon, the lowermost blank is retained in the position shown in FIGURE 4. At the same time, as is pointed out above, the seat 80 serves to hold the lowermost blank against the pusher 78 so that when the feed unit 34 is shifted to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 4, the lowermost blank will be retained in the position illustrated relative to the pusher 78. Thus, there is the desired control over the blank B during the feeding thereof.

It will be seen that when the blank B is moved to the left, it will come into engagement with a cam surface 110 of the guide plate 63 and will be urged downwardly from its slightly elevated position shown in FIGURE 4. When the blank is cammed downwardly, the seat 80 will be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction against the spring 108 so as to facilitate the movement of the blank into proper seating engagement with the stop member 60. It is to be noted that when the pusher 78 is moved to its position retaining a blank in alignment with the ram extension 15, the seat 80 has moved beyond the path of the ram extension 15 and is thus out of the path of movement thereof. It is pointed out at this time that the stop 106 must be set in a position where when no blank is fed and the sheet 80 is in its highest position, it will still clear the ram extension 15.

It is to be understood that when the plunger 78 associated with the hopper 31 is moving to the left so as to position a blank B against the associated stop member 60, the other pusher 78 will also be moved to the left to a position where it will clear the associated hopper 33 and permit the stack of blanks to be lowered so that the then lowermost blank will become properly seated on the seat 80 for feeding into the wall ironing mechanism.

Referring once again to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the feed unit 34 is illustrated in a position wherein a blank has been fed to the wall ironing mechanism 12. The crankshaft 17 is in a position advanced on the order of 10 degrees beyond the fully retracted position of the ram 14 of the wall ironing mechanism 12 so that the ram extension 15 thereof is moving to the right in FIGURE 1. At the same time, the ram extension 15 of the wall ironing mechanism 11 is moving to the left. The cam 35 is so configurated whereby the transverse movement of the slide bar 74 is one direction occurs during approximately 40 to 60 degrees of rotation of the crankshaft 17. By properly timing the operation of the feed unit 34, it will be seen that the retracton of the ram extensions 15 within the ram housings 13 may be held to a minimum, thereby reducing the required over-all stroke of the rams 14. It will be readily apparent that the shorter the stroke of the rams 14, the greater the number of strokes per minute with the same ram travel speed and the lower acceleration at a given speed. It will also be evident that the specific correlation of the operation of the feed unit 34 with the reciprocation of the rams 14 is highly important.

Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the disclosed machine without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A wall ironing machine for converting cup-shaped blanks into elongated constant cross section closed end tubular members, a pair of wall ironing assemblies disposed in spaced side-by-side relation and each including a reciprocating ram, a crankshaft reciprocating said rams out of phase, a pair of blank hoppers disposed between said wall ironing assemblies, a single feed unit mounted for movement transversely of the path of said rams for alternatingly feeding blanks from said hoppers to said wall ironing assemblies, and drive means reciprocating said feed unit in timed relation to the reciprocation of said rams.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said drive means includes a rotating cam connected to said crankshaft for rotation in unison therewith for converting rotary motion into transverse rectilinear motion.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein said drive means includes a rotating cam connected to said crankshaft for rotation in unison therewith for converting rotary motion into transverse rectilinear motion, a rocker shaft extending alongside said wall ironing assemblies, a first crank arm on said rocker shaft having a cam follower engaged with said cam, and a second crank arm carried by said rocker shaft and connected to said feed unit.

4. A wall ironing machine for converting cup-shaped blanks into elongated constant cross section closed end tubular members, a pair of wall ironing assemblies disposed in spaced side-by-side relation and each including a reciprocating ram, a crankshaft reciprocating said rams out of phase, a pair of blank hoppers disposed between said wall ironing assemblies, a single feed unit mounted for movement transversely of the path of said rams for alternatingly feeding blanks from said hoppers to said wall ironing assemblies, and drive means reciprocating said feed unit at intervals in timed relation to the reciprocation of said rams.

5. The machine of claim 1 wherein said feed unit includes a pair of pushers disposed in back-to-back relation.

6. The machine of claim 1 wherein each wall ironing assembly includes a blank positioning unit for aligning blanks with the associated ram, and said feed unit includes a pusher opposing each blank positioning unit for removing a blank from an associated one of said hoppers and moving the blank into clamped engagement with the associated blank positioning unit.

7. The machine of claim 1 wherein each wall ironing assembly includes a blank positioning unit for aligning blanks with the associated ram, and said feed unit includes a pusher opposing each blank positioning unit for removing a blank from an associated one of said hoppers and moving the blank into clamped engagement with the associated blank positioning unit, each pusher having a blank engageable face plate resiliently urged towards the associated blank positioning unit whereby a blank is resiliently clamped against the associated blank positioning unit.

8. The machine of claim 1 wherein each wall ironing assembly includes a blank positioning unit for aligning blanks with the associated ram, and said feed unit includes a pusher opposing each blank positioning unit for removing a blank from an associated one of said hoppers and moving the blank into clamped engagement with the associated blank positioning unit, and a resiliently mounted seat adjacent each pusher for holding a blank engaged with the associated pusher during the movement of the blank towards the associated blank positioning unit.

9. The machine of claim 1 wherein each wall ironing assembly includes a blank positioning unit for aligning blanks with the associated ram, and said feed unit includes a pusher opposing each blank positioning unit for removing a blank from an associated one of said hoppers and moving the blank into clamped engagement with the associated blank positioning unit, and a resiliently mounted seat adjacent each pusher for holding a blank engaged with the associated pusher during the movement of the blank towards the associated blank positioning unit, each pusher having a blank engageable face plate resiliently urged towards the associated blank positioning unit whereby a blank is resiliently clamped against the associated blank positioning unit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD J. HERBST, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 72-361 

